My Guys (3)

Decades after the fall of Saigon, at a reunion of all of us who together lived through that disaster, my guys presented me with a plaque. Across the top are the words “Last Man Out Award.” Below that is a brass eagle, and at the bottom is the following text—DODSPECREP and F46 were unclassified cover names for our organization:

Thomas Glenn III

29 April 1975

MACV HQS SAIGON, REPUBLIC OF SOUTH VIETNAM

The fall of Saigon will always remain a monumental tragedy in U.S. history. This is to finally recognize your exceptional leadership while safely evacuating all your DODPECREP employees and the closing down amid the danger and chaos of those final days.

The Women and Men and Dependents of F46

End of quote. That plaque hangs on the wall of my office. I see it—and remember—every day.